2 Finneys Fragrances

A dating guide for parents of older children

While small children may find it difficult to adapt to sharing a parent with a new relationship, most of the problems with dating for parents comes from older and teenage children, whose loyalty may be split between their other parent and the new partner. They may rebel and cause other issues for and it’s important to address these before it becomes awkward for you, and your new partner, as well as your children.

Talk to your children

Many parents make the mistake of not keeping their children informed, or keeping the relationship with their new partner separate from them. When there are clashes or a split of attention, as may inevitably happen, these teenagers and those of that age may feel jealous. It’s important to ensure that you’re talking to your children to avoid this. Common symptoms might include rebellion and commentary that this new partner will not take the place of their other parent. This can also be exacerbated by their relationship with your ex, so be aware that they might not always be reaching the conclusion that they’ve reached because of their own worries – it could be planted or put there by careless, or malicious words by your ex. If you have a good relationship with your ex, this can be avoided by being clear with them about your new relationship.

Include your children

If you can, include your children in the relationship. You’ll find that you can introduce them to your new partner by arranging an evening out – go for pizza or to the cinema to introduce your new partner to your family to ensure that there’s a low pressure environment to meet them in. One of the major problems with this is if there’s a lot of expectation, or nerves on either side of the relationship, that people will feel pressured – and when teens feel pressured, they may act sullenly. So it’s important, beforehand to talk to them about the person they’re meeting – reassure them that as their parent, they are important, but that you have a relationship too. Depending on their age and maturity, this may work quite well. It’s important to ensure that you’re working at the level that they can relate to though – don’t pressure them into accepting the relationship when they don’t want to.

Dating for parents is easy if you’re aware of the potential problems and have a plan to address any regions that could be problematic.

Dating Advice for Teens: How to Deal With Dating Violence and Relationship Problems